1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to room conditioning units and, more particularly, to an air recirculating and heating device having a heating module for exhausting heated air as a primary airflow and for suspending an auxiliary motor rotating one or more fan blades to produce an upward secondary airflow for mixing with the primary airflow thereby resulting in an airflow that moves upward first against and across the ceiling, down the walls, across the floor and then back again into the same circulative airflow.
2. Description of Related Art
Years ago, heating of dwellings and offices was primarily by use of radiators having heated water flowing therethrough. Such heating was essentially practical only in buildings wherein a common boiler for heating water was practical. Dispersion of heat from the radiators was primarily a function of convective airflow. Unfortunately, due to the localized positioning of the radiators, cold and hot spots would exist in any room. Moreover, not only did the radiators impose constraints on furniture arrangement, they were also a risk for bodily injuries, especially for young children.
In an attempt to overcome the problems associated with radiator heating, central forced-air systems were proposed and are presently widely utilized. Due to their relatively inexpensive installation costs and lack of any adequate prior-art substitute, these systems have been used for a multitude of applications. However, in light of the present invention, central forced-air systems have many deficiencies. One of the most prominent deficiencies is its lack of thermal efficiency. Central forced-air systems require voluminous and lengthy ductwork. Consequently, heat loss results at the junctures of the ductwork and along the length thereof. For instance, the temperature of the air entering a room is substantially less than the air at the heating source such as a furnace. This substantial heat loss results in inefficient systems that require the use of excess amounts of energy (i.e., fuel, gas or electric), thus increasing its costs of operation.
In addition, central forced-air systems require the occupation of a relatively large space to heat an entire house or building, thus often occupying a substantial portion of the attic space and/or basement space. Furthermore, the duct outlets of central forced-air systems constrict furniture arrangement and produce hot and cold spots throughout a room, regardless of whether the outlets are wall mounted or ceiling mounted. Moreover, due to worldwide energy crises and the continual universal need to conserve energy, central forced-air systems are economically and socially disadvantageous.
As an alternative to central forced-air systems and radiator systems, electrically operated baseboard heaters have been proposed as a possible solution. However, baseboard heaters rely upon convection for dispersing the heated air and thereby result in inadequate heat distribution and the production of hot and cold spots. Moreover, furniture placement and activities within a room are constrained and risks of bodily and/or property damage are increased.
In an additional attempt to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies, ceiling fans having heaters suspended therefrom have been attempted. Although the general idea was good, prior-art attempts have failed to produce a viable solution. Such devices usually include a fan or the like for directing air heated by an electric heating element into the path of airflow produced by the ceiling fan. Unfortunately, however, The downward direction of airflow produced by the ceiling fan results in the creation of a hot spot beneath the ceiling fan and a significant temperature gradient from the center of a room to its perimeter. The resulting hot and cold spots are generally uncomfortable and are also unacceptable as furniture placement limitations are imposed.
Ceiling fans drawing heated air upwardly from a below mounted heater are also known. However, such ceiling fans are of little practical value since the fan motor tends to overheat and self-destruct relatively quickly. Another major factor contributing to the loss of efficiency has been the previous inability of ceiling fans to comfortably remove trapped warm air from the ceiling. As such, in addition to the small temperature gradient within the room, the occupant is quickly subjected to uncomfortable drafts from a ceiling fan alone. In addition to the failure of previous heating units to properly mix the required upward movement of air from the ceiling fan with an additional heated air source, cool airflow from off the blades of a stand-alone ceiling fan is typically greater than the warm air it pushes off the ceiling, thus leaving the occupant feeling uncomfortable.
More specifically, examples of ceiling fans having heaters suspended therefrom may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,958 to Kan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,920 to Pelonis, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,785 to Yilmaz and U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,142 to Glucksman. However, in light of the present invention, the aforementioned designs are deficient in that they either fail to evenly distribute heated air throughout the room and thus result in cold spots and hot spots, or they fail to protect the fan motors from adverse heat generated from improperly isolated heating elements and/or deficient airflow design.
For instance, Kan et al. discloses a ceiling fan with adjacently mounted heating elements on the primary fan motor. Such proximity of the heating elements usually results in the adverse overheating of the fan motor and its consequential destruction. The Kan et al. patent fails to employ a heat sink barrier or to isolate the heating elements from the motorized components therefore subjecting the rotor, stator and bearings of the fan motor to non-isolated heat conditions. Further, the Kan et al. design and positioning of the secondary fan blades from the rotor hinders adequate air supply, thus yielding poor distribution of heated air and unwanted cold spots and hot spots throughout the room.
The Pelonis and Yilmaz patents disclose ceiling fans containing both a ceiling fan motor and a heater fan motor. However, due to the design of the Pelonis and Yilmaz inventions, both inventions fail to ensure isolation of the heating elements from the fan motors, thereby causing the subsequent overheating and malfunction of the same. Further, the design of the Pelonis invention essentially amounts to the fan motor blowing heated air in a directly downward fashion instead of an ideal circulating fashion, leaving unwanted cold spots throughout the room.
The Glucksman patent discloses an axial fan in coaxial alignment with an electric resistance heater. The Glucksman invention possesses not only the main elements of a space heater, but also the inadequacies and inefficiencies associated therewith. More specifically, the Glucksman design fails to uniformly distribute its produced heated air throughout a room. Therefore, the inherent deficiency in the Glucksman design yields intense and uncomfortable hot air adjacent to the space heater and uncomfortable and unwanted cold air/spots in areas removed from the space heater.
An additional deficiency in the above references is that many of the ceiling fan/heater devices fail to disclose an adequate means for obtaining and controlling a desired temperature at various elevations. More specifically, with prior systems, the temperature at a standard standing height can often be several degrees higher than at the floor level. Unfortunately, wall-mounted thermostats are often mounted at the standard standing height level and only accurately reflect the temperature at that level. As such, if the occupants are sitting on the floor or on a sofa, the wall-mounted thermostat does not reflect the desired temperature at such a level. Moreover, manually operated controls typically require constant manual adjustments depending on the occupant""s elevation.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that a new and improved air recirculating and heating device is needed wherein a consistent and adequate near uniform distribution of heated air is provided without subjecting the fan motors to adverse heat elevations, and wherein any desired temperature at any desired elevation may be easily obtained. It is, therefore, to the provision of such an improvement that the present invention is directed.
The present invention is directed to an air recirculating and heating device having a heating module preferably adapted from an upward location for drawing in air, heating the air and discharging it as a primary airflow through one or more outlets. An auxiliary motor suspended from the heating module and adapted to support one or more fan blades rotates to produce an upward secondary airflow for mixing with the primary airflow. It should be noted that the naming of the two separate airflows, one primary and one secondary, is for descriptive and differentiating purposes only. Reversing or renaming those airflows has no impact upon the function or operation of the device. Upon such mixing, the temperature of the secondary airflow is raised. The force of the secondary airflow is sufficient to cause a flow of air omni-directionally across the ceiling, down along the windows and walls, across the floor and upwardly beneath the heating module. Windows are notorious cold spots due to a layer of chilled air molecules adjacent the glass. The force of the heated airflow tends to scrub off the low temperature air molecules adjacent the glass and impart heat to the glass through conduction, thereby eliminating the windows as cold spots. One or more selectively actuated heating elements are disposed in the heating module. Only the number of heating elements necessary as a function of the ambient temperature in the room to quickly bring the temperature of the air in the room to a desired comfort level are energized in response to a control unit. Upon achieving such comfort level, the number of energized heating elements may be reduced to a point where the heating elements perform essentially a temperature maintaining function. When a cooling effect, rather than a heating effect is desired, the heating module is turned off and the rotation of the auxiliary motor is reversed to produce a downward, rather than an upward, airflow.
One or more light fixtures may be adapted from the structure attendant the auxiliary motor. A manual or automatic remote control unit may be employed to selectively control the operation of the heating module, the auxiliary fan and any utilized light fixtures.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating device for maintaining the air in a room at a near uniform constant predetermined temperature, thereby overcoming the inefficiencies of conventional systems.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to efficiently function without ductwork, wherein such ductwork has been proven to loose 30 to 40% of its efficiency through placement in a cold attic, through pressure loss due to distance from the conventional heating source and through requisite negotiation of multiple 90 degree angle changes in direction before being exhausted into an airspace.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a method of heating only specified rooms or areas within a home or office. By using such a method, the occupant can regulate the temperature of each room rather than attempting to regulate an entire home with a conventional centrally mounted thermostat. Additionally, due to the rapid response and efficiency provided by the device, only those rooms in use need to be heated, while those not in use, can be closed off and heated just prior to their intended use and/or occupation.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating device for heating air drawn from near the ceiling of a room and dispersing the heated airflow in a vertically circular manner, first against and across the ceiling, then down the walls and across the floor throughout the room, and then back up toward the ceiling.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating device having an auxiliary motor with fan blades attached thereto, wherein the auxiliary motor is suspended from a heating module supported from the ceiling of a room.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a heating module supported from an upward location for suspending an auxiliary motor, wherein the auxiliary motor has fan blades and a light fixture attached thereto.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating device for heating air and dispersing the heated air throughout a room. With each cycle, the molecules of air are stimulated by the heating elements and retain additional heat.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a method of continual stimulation of the heated air molecules for distribution throughout a room that results in large eddies of air colliding and transferring their heated energy to achieve near uniform room temperatures.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a method for recirculating heated air within a room by producing a primary airflow of heated air via a heating module drawing air from near the ceiling, wherein the expelled primary heated airflow is mixed with an upward secondary airflow generated by at least one fan blade attached to an auxiliary motor suspended from the heating module.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an efficient apparatus and method of heating a room that does not hinder floor space and thus furniture arrangement.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a heating module for adapting an auxiliary motor, at least one fan blade(s) and an optional light fixture.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating device for dispersing heated air nearly uniform throughout a room and maintaining the air in the room at a preset desired temperature under control of either an automatic or a manual control unit. The process of maintaining temperature, rather than letting it dissipate before reheating, more efficiently allocates energy to the home environment while achieving constant comfort levels void of rising and falling temperatures associated with traditional thermostatic control.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a method for recirculating heated air within a room by producing a primary airflow of heated air via a heating module, wherein the primary heated air is mixed with a preferably upward secondary airflow generated by at least one fan blade adapted to an auxiliary motor adapted from the heating module.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating system that can be remotely operable.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide an air recirculating and heating system that can include a portable control unit having a thermostat that can be positioned at a user""s elevation, thereby providing accurate desired temperature control.